Running is out !

oftenreading said:

i am a target said:

CO278952 said:

BF25394 said:

jonbond1779 said:

Listening back to Avocado & even Lightening Bolt, the vocals so far on the 2 tracks released for Dark Matter are quite muffled in the mix.  Running is ok, quite WWS-esque but not as good.

so far Dark Matter > Running

I honestly have not found the vocals muffled at all once I saw the lyrics to each song.

I suspect the mastering of the track is contributing to the varying reactions regarding the mix. In my experience listening to it, it sounds poorly mixed with vocals too low on some speakers and totally fine on others.  Regardless of that, the drive of the song is good and I like the distorted bass and drumming. Hands down the bridge is the best part of the song, similar to how the bridge of Pilate is better than the rest of the song. 

I was shocked at the difference in the quality between Spotify and Apple Music. On Apple Music the song is much more crisp and Ed’s vocals are much more clear. 

Could you explain what accounts for the difference (in a way that will make sense for a very much non-audiophile)? I would have assumed that the digital file available on all of these different streaming services would be the same and that the differences would only come from the audio equipment used to play it. 

Most audio compression techniques lose some amount of data contained in the original source file. Lossless compression is a form of compression that preserves all of the original data.

BF25394 said:

i am a target said:

BF25394 said:

i am a target said:

Tjm007 said:

jesselms said:

I don't post often but felt compelled after hearing running. Running feels more like a B side or at best just a filler album song. Seems an odd choice, by far the shortest song on the album 

Merkinball is the only PJ release without a filler track.

Binaural has no filler. I'll assume you argue that 'Soon Forget' is filler, but I completely disagree. I think it fits the theme of the album perfectly.

A song entirely on ukulele featuring only one member of the band is pretty much the definition of filler.

That’s an oddly specific definition of ‘filler’. 

Well, I guess I would support the definition by asking for an example of a song entirely on ukulele performed by only one member of a rock band that *isn't* filler...

bicyclejoe said:

Tjm007 said:

i am a target said:

Tjm007 said:

i am a target said:

Tjm007 said:

jesselms said:

I don't post often but felt compelled after hearing running. Running feels more like a B side or at best just a filler album song. Seems an odd choice, by far the shortest song on the album 

Merkinball is the only PJ release without a filler track.

Binaural has no filler. I'll assume you argue that 'Soon Forget' is filler, but I completely disagree. I think it fits the theme of the album perfectly.

Sleight of hand is not in my top 200 PJ songs. SF is dog food.

Probably their most underrated album though - Thin Air and Rival are absolute diamonds.

My 'dog food' songs are 'Sirens' 'Just Breathe' and 'The End' - basically any breathy Ed songs that plague every album from Avocado onward.

Add the last quarter of Gigaton to that list.

Funny, “Sirens” and “Just Breathe” are two of my favorite tracks from those albums. I think they benefit from exceptional songwriting. And I have a hard time frowning about anything on Gigaton. Those songs were a saving grace during the pandemic for me. I wish I could have seen them performed live.

i am a target said:

oftenreading said:

i am a target said:

CO278952 said:

BF25394 said:

jonbond1779 said:

Listening back to Avocado & even Lightening Bolt, the vocals so far on the 2 tracks released for Dark Matter are quite muffled in the mix.  Running is ok, quite WWS-esque but not as good.

so far Dark Matter > Running

I honestly have not found the vocals muffled at all once I saw the lyrics to each song.

I suspect the mastering of the track is contributing to the varying reactions regarding the mix. In my experience listening to it, it sounds poorly mixed with vocals too low on some speakers and totally fine on others.  Regardless of that, the drive of the song is good and I like the distorted bass and drumming. Hands down the bridge is the best part of the song, similar to how the bridge of Pilate is better than the rest of the song. 

I was shocked at the difference in the quality between Spotify and Apple Music. On Apple Music the song is much more crisp and Ed’s vocals are much more clear. 

Could you explain what accounts for the difference (in a way that will make sense for a very much non-audiophile)? I would have assumed that the digital file available on all of these different streaming services would be the same and that the differences would only come from the audio equipment used to play it. 

Apple converts the audio files to digital in a way that keeps it from losing data in the process of compressing. 

Taken from the Apple Music website:

Most audio compression techniques lose some amount of data contained in the original source file. Lossless compression is a form of compression that preserves all of the original data.

Vedd Hedd said:

Running sounds so much better played on better speakers than my cell phone.  In the car it was great, contributed to my speeding. 

Looking forward to hearing more detail on CD and Vinyl.  

Vedd Hedd said:

Running sounds so much better played on better speakers than my cell phone.  In the car it was great, contributed to my speeding. 

Looking forward to hearing more detail on CD and Vinyl.  

mace1229 said:

bootlegger10 said:

OfThePearl said:

I can only think of one PJ song Ever, that didn't sound better live, than on the record. So I just have to go to as many shows as I can. Fortunately its been many.

I haven't been too excited about what I've heard so far (this album), but I'm Very excited about the upcoming shows. I'm always open to and hopeful for new music, but its hard to match my love for the favorites I already have.

Can think of few that sound better on the record off the top of my head, but there aren't many.  

1)  I Got Id
2)  Brain of J
3) Getaway
4)  Pilate

I Got Id is probably the biggest gap between album and live sound. It's one of my top 10 favorite studio songs, but just doesn't translate live. I've always wondered if it's because Neil was on the album and how it would have been different if Mike recorded it. Maybe not at all, I don't know. 

Ledbetterman10 said:

mace1229 said:

bootlegger10 said:

OfThePearl said:

I can only think of one PJ song Ever, that didn't sound better live, than on the record. So I just have to go to as many shows as I can. Fortunately its been many.

I haven't been too excited about what I've heard so far (this album), but I'm Very excited about the upcoming shows. I'm always open to and hopeful for new music, but its hard to match my love for the favorites I already have.

Can think of few that sound better on the record off the top of my head, but there aren't many.  

1)  I Got Id
2)  Brain of J
3) Getaway
4)  Pilate

I Got Id is probably the biggest gap between album and live sound. It's one of my top 10 favorite studio songs, but just doesn't translate live. I've always wondered if it's because Neil was on the album and how it would have been different if Mike recorded it. Maybe not at all, I don't know. 

That's funny because I'm the complete opposite. I don't like the Merkinball version of I Got Shit at all. But I think live versions like Melbourne '98 and Pittsburgh '00 rule. 

I'll throw Tremor Christ out as a song that's better on the record that live. 

mace1229 said:

bootlegger10 said:

OfThePearl said:

I can only think of one PJ song Ever, that didn't sound better live, than on the record. So I just have to go to as many shows as I can. Fortunately its been many.

I haven't been too excited about what I've heard so far (this album), but I'm Very excited about the upcoming shows. I'm always open to and hopeful for new music, but its hard to match my love for the favorites I already have.

Can think of few that sound better on the record off the top of my head, but there aren't many.  

1)  I Got Id
2)  Brain of J
3) Getaway
4)  Pilate

I Got Id is probably the biggest gap between album and live sound. It's one of my top 10 favorite studio songs, but just doesn't translate live. I've always wondered if it's because Neil was on the album and how it would have been different if Mike recorded it. Maybe not at all, I don't know.